1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle pedal, and particularly a bicycle pedal to which a cleat of a shoe is attachable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,867, a pedal to which a shoe having a cleat is attachable, generally, comprises a pedal body rotatably supported on a pedal shaft and including a fixed clamp member at a forward position thereof and a movable clamp member at a rear position. When the shoe is placed on the pedal, the forward end of the cleat is engaged with the fixed clamp member. In this state, the shoe is depressed whereby the movable clamp member is caused to make a pivotal movement for engaging the rear end of the cleat.
This pedal allows the cleat to be fixable to one position only, which makes it difficult for the cleat to be placed in engagement with the clamp members in one fixing attempt. When the fixing attempt fails, the shoe is removed from the pedal thereby causing rotation of the pedal body. It is time-consuming to engage the cleat all over again after placing the pedal body in an appropriate posture, which constitutes an obstruction to bicycle running.
A portion adjacent the condyle of the metatarsals may be placed in contact with the pedal body for transmitting a depressing force to the pedal body. This facilitates an up and down motion of the metatarsals about the ankle joint with an arch formed between the ankle joint and the phalanges joints connected to the metatarsals, thereby promoting operability at times of pedaling. Therefore, in the prior art, the portion adjacent the condyle of the matatarsals is placed in contact with the pedal body when the shoes having the cleat is attached to the pedal.
However, when the portion adjacent the condyle of the matatarsals is placed in contact with the pedal body, the heal is remote from the pedal body to reduce the depressing force transmitted to the pedal body. As a result, the rider tends to become tired from heavy pedaling loads occurring when starting the bicycle or running uphill.